1930

Best Movies of 1930
The Usual Choices
All Quiet on the Western Front (Lewis Milestone)
Animal Crackers (Victor Heerman)
The Blue Angel (Josef von Sternberg)
Hell's Angels (Howard Hughes)
Morocco (Josef von Sternberg)


But how about...
The Bat Whispers (Roland West)
This is a real find. Based on a 1920 hit play, this comedy-mystery has been beautifully modified and opened-out into a motion picture. A masked thief/killer known as The Bat enters a creepy old mansion, searching for money which has been hidden there after a recent bank robbery. The residents (a wonderfully dizzy assortment of 3 women and a caretaker) are visited by numerous guests, some of whom are also after the cash. Director Roland dazzlingly uses tracking shots (a delight), miniatures, shadows & silhouettes, and booming sound effects to build up the suspense. The three females are the highlights of the cast, comediennes all, and their witty lines are delivered with verve and spot-on timing. A lot has been made of the influence this had in the creation of Bob Kane's (& Bill Finger's) Batman, but the more obvious attentive student was Scooby Doo, Where are You?...jokes, slapstick, scariness, suspects, thrills. A pleasure of cinematic craft, this is a wholly entertaining mystery with a twist ending I doubt you'll see coming. 

...and what about...
Street of Chance (John Cromwell)
This is a Pre-Code film about gambling as an employment option and as an addiction. William Powell is a professional poker player in 1930 New York...his strict moral code doesn't preclude ordering welchers bumped off. One day, his younger brother Babe(?) turns up with a new bride and a hankering to try his hand at cards...but William won't allow it, and takes fateful action to return Babe(??) to a more ethical / middle-class way of living. While Kay Francis plays another Kay Francis role and Jean Arthur is obviously still fine-tuning her craft, William successfully carries the whole movie and is dapper, earnest and fatalistic. He is a too-late-now career-criminal who is well aware that his life has become awful...his inevitable comeuppance is quite the emotional closing scene.

...and of course there's...
The Criminal Code (Howard Hawks)
A typical fast-paced Hawks film, with action! woven through the dialogue, staging and performances. This is a 30's view on thems-the-breaks criminality, with the always-admirable Walter Huston as the ex-DA who becomes warden of a prison which is filled with men he put there. Clearly the bravest man alive (check out his stroll across the prison yard!), Walter proves that he is square-dealing, highly moral and addicted to cigars. Of the inmates, only Boris Karloff (of course) seems to be a violent psychotic; all the rest are basically good guys who just made some bad life choices (hmm...). Still, the film rips along, managing to make its points while it grabs you by the shirt and yells Look! But of course it does...it's a Howard Hawks film.

...not to mention...
Paid (Sam Wood)
This is a rather neglected pre-code movie which deserves rediscovery. Joan Crawford is a factory girl who is unjustly convicted of theft...she spends three years in jail and plots revenge on those responsible. Upon release, Joan pals up with a band of nice small-time crooks, weds her ex-boss's son and is yet again falsely accused, but this time of murder. This is the film where Joan proved she was more than just a gyrating flapper (and lap it up folks, because once she started to believe her own guff, Joan's acting deteriorated considerably), and Marie Prevost is a memorable (and very funny) old-school moll who is loyal to a fault. Even now, with police brutality and deaths in custody being out in the public domain, it is startling to witness the "questioning" techniques used by a 1930 D.A. This is tough stuff.

...and one personal unmentionable...
Madam Satan (Cecil B. DeMille)
Bizarre and awful. Gaze in wonderment at this plot: rich wife discovers that her rich husband is carrying on with a floozy...rich wife sneaks into a dirigible costume party (that's a costume party aboard a dirigible) dressed as a masked French vamp...she successfully seduces her rich husband, luring him away from the floozy...then the airship is struck by lightning and breaks up into pieces, so everybody has to put on parachutes and jump off...the rich wife gives the floozy her parachute with the stern proviso "you must agree to never see my husband again". Oh, and during all of this, people (even the maid) suddenly burst into songs...horrible, horrible songs. Supposedly a sophisticated comedy, this is more like something you would dream of after eating a lot of cheese before bed. You've really got to hand it to pioneering director Cecil...even when he was at the helm of a story as piddling as this, he could turn it into something quite overwhelming.
Fred's rampant jock-itch ruined many a scene.
My Top 10 Films of 1930
#01  A-  The Bat Whispers (West)
#02  A-  The Criminal Code (Hawks)
#03  A-  All Quiet on the Western Front (Milestone)
#04  A-  Paid (Wood)
#05  A-  Morocco (von Sternberg)
#06  A-  Street of Chance (Cromwell)
#07  A-  Ladies of Leisure (Capra)
#08  B+ Raffles (Fitzmaurice)
#09  B+ The Dawn Patrol / Flight Commander (Hawks)
#10  B+ The Big House (Hill)
Overflow: More A-/B+ Films
#11  B+ Tom Sawyer (Cromwell)
#12  B+ The Royal Family of Broadway (Cukor; Gardner)
#13  B+ Up the River (Ford)
#14  B+ The Doorway to Hell (Mayo)
#15  B+ Just Imagine (Butler)

Sorry, They Didn't Make It...
B   The Unholy Three [good talkie remake of 1925 Lon Chaney dark comedy, crippled by a ridiculous ending]
 Journey's End [should have stayed on the stage, but the emotional tug is still apparent]
B   Animal Crackers [only works when the "plot" is ignored and Marxism takes over]
B   Hell's Angels [like everyone says: the aerial-action stuff is stunning; the love triangle stuff is horrid]
B   Laughter [patchy but pleasant forerunner of the later and greater screwball comedies of the 1930's]
B   The Blue Angel [I just wanna know...who ever told Marlene that she could sing?]
>    Sinner's Holiday [newbies James Cagney & Joan Blondell make this typical 30's crime story watchable]
B-  The Devil to Pay [lightweight rom-com which relies entirely on the charm of Ronald Colman]
B-  Danger Lights [a film for model railway enthusiasts who dream of the real thing...and having a girlfriend]
B-  Birds of Prey [awkwardly-directed British mystery where the best performer is killed before the halfway mark]
B-  Min and Bill [domestic violence as slapstick, boozing as leisure and sentimentality as a story]
B-  The Benson Murder Case [prehistoric and passable whodunnit; #4 in the Philo Vance series]
B-  The Sins of the Children [fatherhood as martyrdom, taken to irritating & schmaltzy extremes]
 Redemption [olde-style romantic guff that gives John Gilbert a chance to prove that he could talk just fine]
C   Abraham Lincoln [overripe Americana...and Walter's make-up artist is the one who should've been shot]
C   Anna Christie [Garbo talks! Marie hams it up! Charles goes Irish (I think)! George says "dat ole devil sea" a lot!]
D   Madam Satan [A Personal Unmentionable]

"Ah!..Sweet Mystery of Life...": 1930 Films I Apparently Still Need to See
Alias French Gertie (Archainbaud); The Big Trail (Walsh); City Girl (Murnau); Conspiracy (Cabanne); The Divorcee (Leonard); Escape (Dean); Feet First (Bruckman); The Flirting Widow (Seiter); The Florodora Girl (Beaumont); For the Defense (Cromwell); Hell’s Heroes (Wyler); Her Man (Garnett); Holiday (Griffith); The Lady of Scandal (Franklin); Lawful Larceny (Sherman); Liliom (Borzage); Manslaughter (Abbott); Men Without Women (Ford); Midnight Mystery (Seitz); Monte Carlo (Lubitsch); Murder (Hitchcock); Our Blushing Brides (Beaumont); Outward Bound (Milton); Part Time Wife (McCarey); Passion Flower (de Mille); Roadhouse Nights (Henley); Romance (Brown); Rookery Nook (Walls); The Silver Horde (Archainbaud); Three Faces East (Del Ruth); The W Plan (Saville); War Nurse (Selwyn)


Best Performances of 1930

Oft-Mentioned Choices
Lew Ayres in All Quiet on the Western Front
Wallace Beery in The Big House
Marlene Dietrich in Morocco
Marie Dressler in Anna Christie
Marie Dressler in Min and Bill
Greta Garbo in Anna Christie
Fredric March in The Royal Family of Broadway
Norma Shearer in The Divorcee

But how about...
Barbara Stanwyck in Ladies of Leisure
This was Barb's first film role of the 1930's (she did 3 in the Twenties) and it is an astounding performance...a breakthrough display of natural talent from the greatest actress of Hollywood's so-called Golden Era. It's as if everyone else is acting in another movie entirely, so original and captivating is Barb's portrayal of a call-girl who finds more than just another wild party. The story isn't much (the usual-for-the-times wayward-girl-with-a-heart-of-gold weepie), but Barb grabs it with both hands, playing up to the camera as if it was love at first sight. The actress takes saccharine lines such as "My heart isn't going to beat again until I see you" and somehow knits them into real speech. With Director Frank Capra obviously realising what he has lucked into (check out how he lights & frames his new star...the rain-sodden night scene in particular...pure cinematic beauty), Barbara Stanwyck plants a flag in the now all-talking medium and announces "This is mine". Based on this and at least a dozen other wonderful performances in the 30's & 40's, who could argue with the lady? And to think that she never won an acting Oscar...positively shameful.

...and what about...
Robert Montgomery in The Big House
In this prison movie, Wallace Beery garnered all of the critical attention, playing a borderline-imbecilic inmate who mixes up killing with affection. But it is Robert as a shuddering coward who truly impresses. The films begins with his entry into jail, a spoilt rich kid who got drunk, drove his car, ran over someone and is now incarcerated for manslaughter....ten years worth. Although cooped up with psychos, murderers and deviants, Robert quickly becomes the most loathsome prisoner of them all: a squealer who would sell out anyone just to protect his own hide. And Robert makes sure that we despise him too...constantly sweating, little rodent eyes darting all about, talking fast 'n' frantic, on the lookout for any opportunity to bolster his physical safety. To think that Robert soon became one of the smooth 'n' light rom-com stars of 1930's MGM...the actor clearly had much more to him than that.

...not to mention...
Jackie Coogan in Tom Sawyer
Feh on Tommy Kelly, Joel Courtney, Johnny Whitaker and Jonathan Taylor Thomas...15YO Jackie remains the best cinematic personification of Mark Twain's second-greatest hero (Huck Finn being the sentimental favourite of course). In this version, puberty has clearly hit the lad (Jackie's future propensity towards chubbiness is already apparent), but he firmly remains a pre-internet teen...rat-catching, crabapple stealing, pirate-playing, swimmin' & fishin', eternally barefoot BOY. Jackie avoids the aw-gee-shucks grating cutes and plays up the innocence & moral-strength of the character; while Huck is a wild child of his time, Tom is clearly a soon-to-be 20th Century man (he no doubt went on to fight in the trenches without waiting to be called up). This was the young actor's final childhood role, and his last movie performance of any note. He had to wait until 1964 until his next career highlight: playing Uncle Fester in TV's The Addams Family. Wow...what a trajectory.
BTW...The actor seems to have had a fascinating life...let me know if you come across a copy of Jackie Coogan: The World's Boy King by Diana Serra Cary for under $50AUD.

...and one personal unmentionable...
Lew Ayres in The Doorway to Hell
A case of ludicrous casting, this is where Warner Bros tries to introduce babyfaced Lew into the future ranks of Edward G Robinson, Humphrey Bogart and George Raft. Playing a murderous ganglord (who loves his little brother and tries to go straight for the sake of his new wife), Lew flip-flops between being a thug who talks with a machine-gun (carried around in a violin case...finally!) and a good guy who is decent and true-hearted...an extreme split personality with no apparent connection. Matters are made worse by James Cagney co-starring as Lew's obligatory sidekick/henchman...giving a scene-stealing preview of his The Public Enemy character, Jimmy is a charismatic criminal who clearly belongs in murky places wreaking of gunsmoke. In contrast, although trying really hard, Lew is a young actor, still learning his trade, who has his heart set on a nice romantic comedy next time.
School Bands During the Depression Years:
The Percussion Section
My 10 Favourite Performances of 1930
#01  Barbara Stanwyck in Ladies of Leisure
#02  Fredric March in The Royal Family of Broadway
#03  Robert Montgomery in The Big House
#04  Joan Crawford in Paid
#05  Marlene Dietrich in Morocco
#06  William Powell in Street of Chance
#07  Ronald Colman in Raffles
#08  Marie Prevost in Paid
#09  Maude Eburne in The Bat Whispers
#10  Jackie Coogan in Tom Sawyer
Overflow: More List-Worthy Performances
#11  Louis Wolheim in All Quiet on the Western Front
#12  Lon Chaney in The Unholy Three
#13  Spencer Tracy & Warren Hymer in Up the River
#14  Colin Clive in Journey's End
#15  Wallace Beery in The Big House
#16  Marie Prevost in Ladies of Leisure
#17  Boris Karloff in The Criminal Code
#18  Marie Dressler & Wallace Beery in Min & Bill
#19  Nancy Carroll & Fredric March in Laughter 
#20  Ronald Colman in The Devil to Pay  

Sorry, They Didn't Make It...
>  Greta Garbo in Anna Christie [she was better when she was just a face & a body]
>  Marie Dressler in Anna Christie [aka How I Mugged My Way to Stardom]
>  Lew Ayres in All Quiet on the Western Front [turn the sound off...see how much better his performance is?]
>  Emil Jannings in The Blue Angel [this control-freak of a teacher obviously became a Nazi official in 1933]
>  Walter Huston in Abraham Lincoln [ideal casting scuppered by too much self-conscious reverence]

And so...onto the annual awards (with a nod of appreciation to Danny Peary)...
The Alternate Oscars for 1930 are:

FILM of the YEAR
GOLD: The Bat Whispers (Roland West)
SILVER: The Criminal Code (Howard Hawks)
BRONZE: All Quiet on the Western Front (Lewis Milestone)

LEAD ACTOR: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: William Powell (Street of Chance)
SILVER: Ronald Colman (Raffles)
BRONZE: Lon Chaney (The Unholy Three)

LEAD ACTRESS: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Barbara Stanwyck (Ladies of Leisure)
SILVER: Joan Crawford (Paid)
BRONZE: Marlene Dietrich (Morocco)

SUPPORTING ACTOR: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Fredric March (The Royal Family of Broadway)
SILVER: Robert Montgomery (The Big House)
BRONZE: Louis Wolheim (All Quiet on the Western Front)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Marie Prevost (Paid)
SILVER: Maude Eburne (The Bat Whispers)
BRONZE: Marie Prevost (Ladies of Leisure)

ENSEMBLE or PARTNERSHIP: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Spencer Tracy & Warren Hymer (Up the River) 
SILVER: Marie Dressler & Wallace Beery (Min and Bill)
BRONZE: Nancy Carroll & Fredric March (Laughter

JUVENILE: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Jackie Coogan (Tom Sawyer)
SILVER: TBA
BRONZE: TBA

The Alternate Razzies for 1930 are:

CRAP FILM of the YEAR
Madam Satan (Cecil B. DeMille)

CRAP MALE PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
Lew Ayres (The Doorway to Hell

CRAP FEMALE PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
Jean Harlow (Hell's Angels)


The Special Awards for 1930 are:

DIRECTORS HALL OF FAME: THIS YEAR'S INDUCTEES
[10 Silent Film Era Greats]
> Roscoe Arbuckle :: Charles Chaplin :: Cecil B. DeMille :: D.W. Griffith :: Buster Keaton :: 
Hal Roach :: Mack Sennett :: Victor Sjostrom :: King Vidor :: Erich von Stroheim 

CAN YOU SPOT?...BEST CAMEO or FLEETING APPEARANCE of 1930
> That's Andy Devine as the knife-wielding Cluck in The Criminal Code

NEAR-MISS CASTING of 1930: LUCKILY FOR US...
> Norma Shearer missed out on the Joan Crawford role in Paid
NEAR-MISS CASTING of 1930: UNLUCKILY FOR US...
> Douglas Fairbanks Jr missed out on the Lew Ayres role in All Quiet on the Western Front

BLOCKBUSTER!: TOP 3 HIGHEST-GROSSING MOVIES of 1930
> $$$  Tom Sawyer distributed by Paramount
> $$  Hell's Angels distributed by United Artists
> $  Ingagi distributed by Congo Pictures (grubby exploitation flick featuring nudity & hinting at bestiality; claimed to be a documentary...er, no)

THE BEST OSCAR DECISION OF 1930
> All Quiet on the Western Front won Best Picture
THE WORST OSCAR DECISION OF 1930 
> Norma Shearer in The Divorcee won Best Actress

BEST DID-YOU-KNOW TRIVIA of 1930
> The record for the most footage shot for a single film is still held by Hell's Angels. Producer / Director Howard Hughes had 560(!!!) hours of film which he had to edit down into something approaching 2 hours. (560 hours is equivalent to 23 days + 8 hours non-stop). No wonder he lost his marbles.

MOST INTERESTING BEHIND-THE-SCENES / BACKSTORY of 1930
> Josef von Sternberg had decided that the only woman capable of playing the man-destroying vamp in The Blue Angel was then-unknown Marlene Dietrich. However, the star of the movie (Emil Jannings) and the producer (Erich Pommer) were not convinced and insisted upon meeting her. Marlene was indifferent about the film role (she preferred appearing onstage and in cabarets) and came across as listless, dismissive and rather contemptuous. After the two men rejected what they saw, von Sternberg stuck his heels in and refused to make the film without her. An audition was organised where Marlene could show off her singing voice. Still underwhelmed (and more than a little irritated) by the whole process, Marlene fronted up to an on-hand piano player and sang "You're the Cream in My Coffee". Unfortunately, the pianist was either nervous or just plain incompetent and kept on muffing the recording, fuel for Marlene's ever-growing anger. Eventually, she snapped and chronically ripped into the poor guy.
There is a copy of this warts'n'all screen-test: you can see it HERE.
Ironically, this suffer-no-fools attack was what nailed the role for the actress; it was exactly what the character of Lola was supposed to be like. The girl from Schoneberg was on her way.

BEST ONE-LINER of 1930
"Signor Ravelli's first selection shall be 'Somewhere My Love Lies Sleeping' with a male chorus." 
     Groucho Marx as Captain Spaulding in Animal Crackers

FADE OUT / SCENE ENDS: GOODBYE & THANKS...
>  LON CHANEY (1883-1930)   ACTOR   First Film 1913 / Final Film 1930
       [Personal Fave Performance: The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923]
MABEL NORMAND (1892-1930)   ACTRESS   First Film 1910 / Final Film 1926
       [Personal Fave Performance: Tillie's Punctured Romance 1914]